Whaling decision ‘a setback for conservation efforts’
Federal Labor has called on the Federal Government to adopt a four-point plan to counter a win by pro-whaling nations at the International Whaling Commission.
Environment spokesman Anthony Albanese says the pro-whaling lobby’s win is a setback for conservation efforts.
The ABC reported that a declaration raised by Japan calls on the commission to consider whaling issues over conservation. The non-binding declaration was passed by 33 votes to 32 with one abstention.
Mr Albanese says the Howard Government should support four measures to stop the whale slaughter:
1. Continued diplomatic action;
2. Take Japan to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to stop Japan’s so-called scientific whaling;
3. Stop blocking the Federal Court prosecution of Japanese whaling companies who are breaching Australia’s laws and slaughtering whales in Australian waters, and;
4. Support monitoring of Japanese factory ships hunting whales in Australian waters.
“Japan will slaughter more whales in 2006 than ever before for so-called scientific whaling. Japan’s ’scientific’ whaling program is nothing more than a commercial meat market and is being expanded to include humpback whales,” Mr Albanese said.
Mr Albanese says whale watching is a profitable and sustainable industry for Australia with indirect economical benefits close to $300 million. In 2004, more than 1.6 million tourists went whale watching in Australia.
